Do you struggle to stick with your New Year's resolutions? Do you have big plans to make the next year a healthier one but you struggle to actually make changes, or you fizzle out on your new habits after only a few months or weeks?
Have you ever tried making your New Year's health resolution a monthly or progressive goal instead? Try one of these methods and see if that helps!
Monthly Mini Goals
Breaking down a generic resolution like "get healthy" into monthly habits is a great way to help you succeed!
First of all, "get healthy" or "eat better" are too generic to be easily achieved. Goals needs to be specific and measurable for the best chance of success. See some tips for setting health goals.
But it's difficult to set a specific goal when you just want overall health, isn't it? That's where the monthly mini goals come in. You can have your goal for January be to increase your water consumption to a certain level. Then, in February, while you continue with your water drinking, you can add doing 15 minutes of stretching or yoga each day. In March, maybe your goal is to eat one raw fruit and veggie each day. And so on through the year.
What this system does is build smaller habits that work toward a whole.
It also keeps you from being overwhelmed with trying to start these new habits all at once on January 1st.
And finally, it keeps up your motivation since each new month has a new goal to get excited about. It's like Jan. 1st every month.
I did something like this last year when I made a resolution to try one new thing that could improve my health each month. In January, I used a sun lamp. In February, I started making sourdough bread. In March, I tried out an infrared sauna. And so on throughout the year.
Another example would be learning to make one new food from scratch each month of the year. This was one of the first things I did in my health journey. I started with baking bread (which was maybe a little crazy), and then, I made biscuits, pizza dough, jam, peanut butter cups, and more that year. It gave me a great jumpstart in learning to cook foods from scratch.
Progressive Goals
A progressive goal method works best on a goal where you may have a specific benchmark in mind, but it seems so far off and intimidating that you have trouble getting started.
A good example would be exercise. That's what I'm doing this year. Leaving farming where there was a lot of physical activity and now having a desk job has been detrimental to my fitness.
I'm starting off slowly in January with doing 15 minutes of stretching three times a week. I haven't planned for sure beyond that since I'll see what I feel up to, but as an example, I could add some core exercises in February, hand weights in March, short walks in April, bike riding in May, and so on. The idea is to add an element each month that will increase my fitness to a level where I can do 30 minutes five times a week by the end of the year.
This method increases your fitness at a manageable pace. Setting a resolution to exercise for 30 minutes five days a week is great, but if you're not in shape enough to do that, you'll drop it quickly.
Adopting a plan that starts small and progresses through the year will keep you feeling like you're accomplishing something and also keep you motivated with a new goal each month.
Another example would be if you want to decrease the inflammation in your body. There are many different lifestyle choices that lead to inflammation, and you could choose a new one to address each month. Maybe you switch out your white flour for whole grain in January, give up alcohol in February, switch to natural cleaning products in March, ditch your candles and air fresheners in April, and so on.
At the end of the year, you'll have made 12 lifestyle changes that all move you toward the goal of reducing inflammation.
Make Big Changes This Year
One of the most meaningful changes I've ever made in my health was swapping out all the toxic products I was using in my home. In 2024, I will be walking you through this process month-by-month, covering a different area of your home or life each month from cleaning products to your medicine cabinet to your hair care.
If you'd like to join in on this journey, jump into my free Facebook group or my email list – or both.
Whatever you decide to do this coming year to improve your health, know that you CAN accomplish it, and I am here to help or encourage you when you need it.
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